Be Careful What Your Dog Eats at Family Gatherings

Be careful what you give the dog at family gatherings, it could cause an expensive trip to the vet.

Family gatherings are a great time for your dog. They get to see lots of people, get lots of new attention and sometimes get get given treats they wouldn’t normally get. The PDSA have put together a handy list of human food do’s and dont’s here. This list is also useful for other holidays such as birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Street Parties and Easter.

What can we give our dogs

• Lean parts of the white turkey meat (plain and boneless) – the dark meat can be too rich for them
• Carrot and/or swede mash (with no added extras like butter, salt or onion)
• Plain boiled or raw carrots (without any glaze or oil)
• Plain boiled parsnips (without any glaze or oil)
• Plain boiled or steamed green beans
• Plain boiled or steamed Brussel sprouts (no sauce)
• Plain boiled or steamed broccoli
• Plain boiled, steamed or mashed peas
• Plain cooked cauliflower (no sauce).

But what should we NOT give our dogs?

• Any COOKED meat bones
• Sweets
• Alcohol
• Fatty foods
• Chocolate

Many of our dogs have allergies to foods, such as chicken, wheat and pork. A well meant ham sandwich or pork sausage snuck from the table to the family dog, may result in a terrible upset tummy for the poor pooch and in the worst event, an emergency trip to the vet on a holiday weekend. Cooked meat bones can splinter in the dogs tummy and cause terrible pain and discomfort. So, keep your doggy happy and don’t feed him scraps from the table.